2. Contact Info

3. Dealer Selection

Before cruising down to San Diego for the introduction of the new 2015, fourth-generation Fit, Honda kindly dropped off a current example to calibrate my perspective. It was a good reminder of the Fit’s positives: fleet-footed, with supernatural interior packaging, and its darker side, too: a taxing ride (“nuts, more Starbucks on the trousers”) and raucous engine noise.

So during the next day’s technical presentation, I sat back and expected to hear all about how Honda‘s crack engineers had slathered the new car in sound-deadening material and gushy-soft bushings.

Actually, little new sound-deadening has been added. Instead, Honda focused on making the structure stiffer via a new body-on-skeleton construction that yields tighter-fitting doors, and consequently, better gap sealing and concomitant quietness. Engine noise? Adding adjustable intake cam phasing (VTC) to its existing variable valve-lift (i-VTEC) helps the 1.5-liter engine make 13 more hp (now 130), so normal acceleration is quieter simply because you’re not so deep into the throttle. Previously, a moderate incline would have you flooring the (very) loud pedal just to maintain speed, but given the same situation in the new car, it accelerates! (If modestly.) Nevertheless, with multi-hole direct-injection and a 10 percent higher compression ratio, its mileage has simultaneously risen to best-in-class — as high as 33 city/41 highway for the LX trim with a CVT. About the only thing I’d prefer is a better engine note. As it is, it’s a fairly artless.

Did I detect a wince at the letters C, V, and T? Fair enough. But listen, this is a fast-evolving technology and the Fit’s is a case in point, as its ratio range is actually greater than the previous five-speed auto. It’s also lighter than the auto, doesn’t drone or act particularly abnormally, and is especially crisp off the line. Plus, anytime you like you can tap a “simulated” gear change via flapper paddles behind the steering wheel (it’ll revert back to Drive mode after a pause) or change to Sport mode for a seven-speed, manual shift experience. For you knuckle-dragging, stir-it-yourself die-hards, the new six-speed manual is as light and articulate as you’d expect from Honda. Moreover, its first through fifth are a tad lower than before, slightly magnifying the car’s greater power. So knock yourself out.

Though its ride is still surprisingly firm, the dry-cleaning bills will be smaller thanks to a rethink of the twist-beam rear suspension’s load path. Now the path is split, and ordinary bumps are more softly transmitted, with only the rarer big bangs detouring to the bump stops.

The Fit’s great “Magic” multi-folding rear seats remain, of course, but the entirety of car’s interior space is now downright Harry Potter-esque in its supernatural roominess. A 1.2-inch wheelbase stretch and shorter rear trailing arms helps grow rear seat kneeroom by an astonishing 3.1 inches, making it roomier than even the cavernous Nissan Versa’s. It’s one of those rare cars that has you repeatedly puzzled by how so much space could be inside such a diminutive exterior. For instance, compared to the 2013 edition, it’s 0.3 inch wider, but has 1.4 inches more front shoulder room (0.8 inch more in back). Up front, the driver has 0.4 inch of added vertical seat adjustment because of a fuel tank that’s a gallon smaller (it’s under the front seat, to make room in back for the Magic multi-position rear seat). A smaller gas tank? The car’s better mileage compensates for it, keeping driving range unaltered. And despite being 1.6 inches shorter overall, in one of its interior configurations there’s enough room to toss a surfboard inside. And of course there are thoughtful details: Put your iPad into the center storage compartment and the lid closes perfectly. Somebody thought about this.

None of this, as far as I can tell, diminishes its renowned nimbleness. As a countermeasure to the longer wheelbase, Honda gave the car better electric power assist, greater front caster angle, and a more inclined roll axis, which combine to make it as handy as ever as a curve-carving little switchblade. Let me nuance that description a bit: It now feels more like a little switchblade milled from a solid ingot rather than pop-riveted stamped steel. It’s sturdier, despite a considerable campaign to reduce weight. Examples: a hollow (lighter) front anti-roll bar, and a tube section for the beam in the rear twist beam suspension (previously a U-shape stiffened by an integral anti-roll bar).

And as I alluded to earlier, weight has been trimmed from the chassis itself through a radical rethink of how it’s constructed. The most common manner of assembling cars these days is to envision two sections, the “platform” (the lower half of the car that ties together the drivetrain and suspension) and a structural bodywork “hat” on top of that. The new Fit, however, is built inside-out, with a core structure that’s surrounded by load-carrying body structures. Despite feeling remarkably more substantive, it saves 44 pounds in the process. (And hmm, its construction reminds me of that of the 1934 Chrysler Airflow … but I digress.)

See the pattern? Honda has resisted all the tempting Band-Aids and instead taken the Fit’s celebrated DNA and painstakingly evolved it into a smarter, more solid, and far more sophisticated fourth generation. It’s reflected in its styling, which has matured out of its happy guppy phase into a proper, adult-looking, mini-Honda. Ditto the interior: Attractive (and functional) details are everywhere, all composed of impressive materials for its mildly higher price point, and highlighted by a standard back-up camera and available 7-inch multi-touch screen populated with an early offering of apps such as Aha Internet radio, and navigation. Moreover, it can also play movies from your phone (while stopped) and will display your iPhone’s screen (sorry, nothing for Android users yet). The demonstration of the system seemed seamless, intuitive, and quick, but when I tried it on my own I have to admit getting puzzled and starting over again and again.

The new Fit’s pricing has now adopted the orthodox trim structure followed by the rest of the Honda range: LX ($16,315 for the six-speed, $17,115 for the CVT, both including destination), EX ($18,225 for the six-speed, $19,025 for the CVT), EX-L ($20,590, CVT only) and EX-L with Navi ($21,590, CVT only). Notice that you could have an EX with the much-cheaper app version of navigation instead. Why pay the extra $940 or so for traditional, stand-alone, in-dash navigation? It offers some extra robustness, but frankly, mainly appeals to those folks who still aren’t comfortable with connecting their phone to their car. Overall, the various trim prices are up about $100 for the base car and roughly $1000 for the Navi version. But depending on trim level, each level includes much more standard content. For instance, the backup camera (with guidance lines for backing, and both wide-angle and “top down” views to see what’s on the ground directly behind you), hill assist, and torque prompts from the electrically assisted steering to help you correct for oversteer or understeer. A nifty feature (once you get used to it) on the EX and EX-L trims is the LaneWatch system, which shows the view of a camera in the side-view mirror on the 7-inch multi-touch screen whenever you flip on the right turn signal or push a button on the end of the stalk. All Fits, regardless of trim, will be manufactured at Honda’s brand-new factory in Celaya, Mexico.

So basically, I think the difference between the previous and 2015 versions of the car is like meeting someone when they’re at the age of 18 and then again at age 21. Same person, same mannerisms. But the voice is deeper and the goofy adolescence is gone. And like the new Fit, they’re more mature every which way.

Fair Market Price

0-60 MPH

Real MPG

Safety (IIHS)

Fair Market Price

Fair Market Price is the price a consumer can reasonably expect to
pay for a new vehicle at a dealership at the end of negotiations, and
includes destination charges, taxes and fees. The actual transaction
price will be dependent on innumerable variables, from the
dealer’s inventory to the buyer’s bargaining skills, so
this figure is an approximation.

2015 Honda Fit News and Reviews

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Our long-term 2015 Honda Fit has entered the tail end of its one-year stint in the #MTGarage. The little red hatch is still running strong and its odometer recently hit 20,000 miles thanks to a few road trips from news editor Alex Nishimoto and associate online editor Stefan Ogbac. Both gentlemen also provide a few thoughts on the Fit,…

Recently there have been lots of bicycle events in Los Angeles, including Bike Week, Critical Mass, and the CicLAvia ride in Pasadena, just to name a few. I wasn't able to participate in any of the events, but they did remind me of one of Honda's interesting claims regarding the Magic Seats in our long-term Fit. According to Honda,…

BLIS, ACC, LDW, FCW. When it comes to advanced driver-assistance systems, all the acronyms can become extremely confusing, especially if you don't have the slightest clue about all the safety features available in newer cars. These features have started becoming increasingly important to consumers in recent years, and manufacturers continue to develop even more sophisticated systems, such as animal and…

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Fair Market Price

0-60 MPH

Real MPG

Safety (IIHS)

Fair Market Price

Fair Market Price is the price a consumer can reasonably expect to
pay for a new vehicle at a dealership at the end of negotiations, and
includes destination charges, taxes and fees. The actual transaction
price will be dependent on innumerable variables, from the
dealer’s inventory to the buyer’s bargaining skills, so
this figure is an approximation.